So I was poking around FamousKin.com (a searchable website featuring celebrities and their family trees), when I came across Kris Kardashian. I noticed her maiden name was Houghton. Hmm, I thought, I know that name, as many Houghtons are in my family tree.
Next I researched my way backwards from her father (Robert True Houghton), clicking through the Famous Kin site as well as Googling and referring to other genealogy sites, until I climbed (back-back-back) to some familiar names from my own family tree! It seems that Kris and I (and by extension Kim and her krew) have a common ancestor in John Houghton II (1593-1635). Here’s how that line of particular descent looks for the Kardashians, with John Houghton II’s son Ralph at left:
Kim and Kanye West are at far right. Kayne West is in my overall family tree chart. OK then!
Now back in the late 1500’s, one Thomas Sawyer (yes, Tom Sawyer…, of the same generation as the above-mentioned Ralph Houghton), and Margaret West (yes, same surname as Kayne West but no further relation) had various descendants, including grandson Thomas Sawyer, who married Mary Prescott. From their child Mary Sawyer (daughter of Thomas, who married James Houghton) eventually come the Kardashians. From another of their children, Thomas Sawyer Jr. (Mary’s brother and the third Tom Sawyer in this family that I know of), I am descended.
BTW, speaking of Kardashians, their Houghton line connects back with Capt. Hugh Mason (b.1605), also my ancestor. Kate Upton is also a descendant of Capt. Hugh; I should call her and tell her…
As if these celebrity connections in my family weren’t enough, I was able to use Relative Finder (once I uploaded my detailed family tree files to FamilySearch.org) to make some interesting discoveries. I saved out a bunch of these charts as PDFs to refer to later (see example below).
Take Jimi Hendrix: He and I both descend from Thomas Smyth (b.1460) and Lady Strange (b.1462). Buddy Holly and I both descend from Edward Sawyer (b1502) and Ann Danvers (b.1500). Elvis Presley and I both descend from Samuel Cutter (b.1575) and E. Leatherhead (b.1576).
Here’s how I relate to Edgar Allan Poe, so the chart says:
Other celebrity and famous persons connected to my ancestors that I found in these charts include Davy Crockett, Janis Joplin, Merle Haggard, Johnny Carson, Benedict Arnold, John Dillinger, John Hancock, John Denver, Charlton Heston, Thomas Jefferson and some other presidents, etc.!
Here is how I relate to the Salem Witch Trials, according to the website (I already knew I’m actually descended from Thomas Putnam’s brother Deacon Edward Putnam; I guess Edward wasn’t quite notorious enough to be listed in this scenario even though he was also a main accuser):
Of course, a few centuries separate me and these famous people from our common ancestors so the money is long gone… But knowing these connections makes for a lot of fun facts and bragging rights.